


To Be A Good Person

by WDW



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: (so far) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Gravity Falls Secret Santa 2016, gfss2016, mentioned and implied violence (cough the water tower thing from the journal), this is my only fic focusing on dipper and mabel and that's a tragedy, um um i don't know how to tag this - there's a lot of hurt and some (but not enough) comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 09:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8974237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WDW/pseuds/WDW
Summary: To escape her dream bubble, Mabel must come face to face with her greatest fear.  [For @paperweight-jellyfish in the GF Secret Santa 2016, who wanted either Mabel + Bipper, or Mabel's bubble from Weirdmageddon.  WELL I was indecisive, so I combined the two (as well as my existing Feelings about the Bipper page in the Journal 3.  You know the one.]





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time really writing stuff between dipper and mabel so i'm sorry if it's not that great.
> 
> also this is definitely not cheery holiday stuff... sorry *sweats*

Dipper's running for his life, with at least a few hundred horrifying abominations of nature chasing after him and Mabel's dream world crashing down around him. All around him, the pastel-colored stuffed animals are morphing into dripping shadowy monsters with glowing eyes. Above him, the sunny cerulean sky has darkened into an ominous crimson red.

He feels the weight of the past few days with every running step he takes from the tight feeling in his chest to the burning in his legs. Because, he's tired. _Really_ tired. Dipper doesn't remember when he last slept or really ate or just - sat down and took a breath.

How could he? With Great-Uncle Ford captured, with the journals and all hopes of beating Bill burned to ashes, with, with Mabel _gone_ -

But his sister is here now, her hand clenched warm and solid around his own. And now he knows, knows that despite the monsters, despite Bill, despite everything that had happened since Weirdmageddon started -

\- they're going to _win_.

"Get on, everyone!" Mabel cries, a single finger pointed to - and of course it's Waddles, of course he's completely huge and rideable, this was _Mabel's_ dream world, after all.

All four of them scramble on board, Dipper and Mabel in the front and Soos and Wendy in the back. Giant Waddles rears back and - oinks, but with him currently being the size of a large elephant, it comes out more like a deranged pig scream.

When he stands up with a stamp of all four feet, the nightmare monsters around them stumble backwards a few steps, clearly terrified. And when he starts running (well, more like charging, given Waddles currently weighs several tons) that's when they really _scatter_.

So, okay, if Dipper had to be honest, it _was_ pretty exciting to finally be on the other side of things, to finally have things going right after so long. There's a clear path to the edge of the bubble now, and he can already see, distantly but quickly approaching, the blur of Gravity Falls just past it.

Then he hears from everywhere at once, in a voice that comes high and grating and ridiculously, incredibly _annoying_ : "Woah ho _ho_! Where do you think you're _going_ , sis?"

Waddles freezes in his steps. It takes a few seconds more for the pieces to click for Dipper, but _ugh_. He grimaces despite himself. Dippy Fresh, _really_?

The guy's standing just a few steps in front of Waddles, and it's like he doesn't even care about getting stepped on or something. He's still wearing his neon-green-and-purple shades, a shock of bright color amidst the crimson reds and grays of the bubble.

He doesn't have maggots crawling out of his face or anything like all of Mabel's other dream creations, but he still looks a bit different - he had replaced the stupid smile on his face with an inhumanely wide grin, one that showed more teeth than Dipper knew he had _._

"Get out of here, Dippy Fresh!" He shouts back angrily and waves a fist for emphasis. "Mabel already made her choice, and it wasn't you!"

...So maybe he had some issues with the guy. Or a lot of issues.

Dippy Fresh sighs. "Oh calm down, Pine Tree! Can't ya see I'm not talking to you?"

"No, Dipper's right, Dippy Fresh," Mabel says, voice surprisingly gentle. But it made sense, Dipper thinks reluctantly - she made him, after all. And in whatever dream logic way, he was still her brother. Kinda.

She leans forward and looks down so she's looking Dippy Fresh right in the eyes, stupid shades, whatever. "I'm sorry, I know you want me to stay. But Bill's out there and he's got my Grunkle, and the entire town's getting destroyed by monsters, and Dipper and I are going to _high school_ when the summer ends, and - I can't pretend that none of that's happening. I - I have to leave, and... there's nothing you can say to make me change my mind."

Dippy Fresh doesn't say anything for a long moment, and for a second, Dipper thinks she's actually gotten through to him. Because the guy was a weirdo with stupid catchphrases and a terrible fashion sense, but he was also kind of Dipper and sort of Mabel's brother - and Dipper knew exactly what decision _he_ would make, if he was the one standing up there. He had done it before, after all.

Then Dippy Fresh tilts his head up, at the exact angle that Dipper can just kind of look through the purple-tinted glass of his visor and see the gold glint of his eyes. "Are you sure about that, Shooting Star?"

Mabel realizes it before he does; he knows because she stiffens completely, her back ramrod straight.

"You're not Dippy Fresh," Dipper says slowly, more for his own benefit than anything else. Soos gasps in betrayal behind him. "You're _Bill._ "

'Dippy Fresh' ignores him. Instead, he walks forward a few steps, teeth white against the darkness of the bubble, eyes not leaving Mabel's frozen expression.

Dipper's not really sure when the change happens, but suddenly the shades are gone, and the clothes darken to a crisp black, and - he remembers that robe, he remembers wearing that uncomfortable high collar, and most of all, he remembers those slitted yellow eyes.

His final and most important realization comes quickly, but not quick enough. "Mabel, you have to ignore him," Dipper urges, shaking her shoulder gently. "That's not the real Bill. The real Bill's outside and he's got a physical body, he can't possess anyone anymore. And I'm right _here_. This Bill's just part of the bubble, like Dippy Fresh and everything else -"

Mabel doesn't say anything, just stares, transfixed. Waddles doesn't budge. Bill laughs, more of a high-pitched cackle than anything, and without the slightest warning he's standing right on top of Waddles' head, less than a feet away from where they are all sitting.

"Oh," Bill says softly, leaning forward. "How _touching_. Your bro-bro sure does cares a lot about you, doesn't he, Shooting Star? Always looking out for you no matter _what's_ going on. ...Too bad you can't say the same, huh?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Bill!" Dipper yells angrily. He wants to get up and tackle the dream demon, punch him in his smarmy borrowed face, anything to get him farther away from his sister.

However, he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't a great idea to start a brawl on top of a giant pig. "Mabel, don't listen to him," he hisses urgently, "he's just saying random stuff to freak you out. Tell Waddles to shake him off or something, we have to go _now_ -"

His sister jolts a little, as if broken out of a thought. "You're right, Dipper," Mabel says, and if she sounds a bit off, a bit distant, it - it doesn't matter. She lifts her head, her mouth downturned into an uncharacteristically serious frown. "You mean triangle monster, get off of Waddles' head and let us leave or -"

"What, am I the only one here who remembers that ol' sock puppet fiasco a few weeks back?" Bill shakes his head in an exaggerated motion, still with that creepy wide grin on his - on Dipper's face, and Mabel goes _quiet_.

"Um, when you tricked me and took over my body?" Dipper asks in disbelief. "When you destroyed the laptop and almost took the journal? How could I possibly _forget_ that?"

"YEP, THAT SOUNDS ABOUT _RIGHT_! ...Hey, don't look at me like that, kid - I had to make the best of my time, I had about three decades worth of human pain to catch up on!" Bill exclaims, beaming. "But I gotta give credit where it's due - none of it would have been possible without ol' Shooting Star here!"

" _You're_ the one who did all of that, Bill. My sister had nothing to do with it and she _knows_ it," Dipper says heatedly - and Mabel _flinches_. "...Mabel?"

He sees her swallow once, hard. "Dipper…"

"C'mon, trivia time - what kind of sister doesn't notice when their own brother gets possessed by a demon? Here's a clue: it sure doesn't start with a 'g' or end with 'ood.'"

The demon leans in forward, close enough that he's a few inches away from Mabel's face. No one moves, and Dipper is almost entirely sure that Bill's using his powers to keep them all frozen because he would've done _something_ otherwise.

"...Did you like the note I left you, Shooting Star?"

Mabel trembles.

" _Mabel,_ " Dipper whispers weakly, and it takes every bit of his effort to do it. It feels like the entire world has ticked to a stop, that everything is centred on his sister and Bill as they continue their uneasy stand-off. Which, given the circumstances, it most likely _is._ "I-It wasn't -"

"I mean," Bill continues easily, his voice drowning out Dipper's with ease. "If Pine Tree hadn't found the loop hole and _told_ ya what was going on, you wouldn't have realized it at all, huh? ...Not until after I jumped this body right off that water tower."

Wendy jolts, makes some aborted movement behind them before the dream demon snaps his fingers and she freezes again. He makes a sound of disapproval. "Tsk, _tsk._ No violence in Mabel Land, lady! Make another move with that axe of yours, and it's finding a home in some _one_ you don't want it to be in."

"...Let them go," Mabel says quietly, voice halting but strong. "This is _my_ world, Bill, and I want you to let them _go_."

"C'mon, don't change the subject when we're having such a good heart to heart going on here! Though really, you don't need _me_ to tell you. It's _all_ there, cooped up under all the glitter and sequins - I mean, did you really need a jumped up _horse_ to tell ya that you aren't a good person? You knew that already!"

Bill makes a grand, sweeping motion with his hand. He looks like some kind of composer, threading all the parts of a piece together with meticulous efficiency. "I mean, what kind of 'good person' lets their brother get possessed by a demon, Shooting Star? What kind of good person would let their brother die for a puppet show?"

"I didn't, I _wouldn't!_ " Mabel shouts, and she's standing up now, her eyes wide and pupils dilated. Her cheeks are flushed red with anger and - something else, something in the uncertainty of her posture. "I love my brother and I - I would give up anything for him, a dumb puppet show and more! You don't know what you're talking about, you s-stupid demon, and - "

"Oh, but Mabel... you did. Maybe not here, not now, but you _did._ "

And - she says nothing, nothing at all. Bill's eyes burn an acrid yellow in glee. "And you wouldn't have known, would ya? Not until it was too late. Not until I had _finished up_. What do you think - would you have gone searching for him? Would you have seen him for yourself? Or would it have been ol' Fez giving you the news secondhand, that next morning?"

He hums slightly. "...Huh, makes me curious how he handled it, with his history with twin brothers and all. I should pop over to that timeline after this. Take another peek. It would be fun!"

Mabel is quiet, and for all Dipper's screaming on the inside, he can't _speak._ Bill must know that he has an open stage because he relaxes, inhumanely loose-limbed, and says, "You just didn't care enough, Shooting Star. You didn't pay attention. You couldn't take care of him, you couldn't make sure he's safe. You couldn't be there for him, like he was always there for you."

Dipper sees the glint in the demon's eyes, the growing crescent of his grin, and knows that - this, _this_ is what everything came down to.

And Bill says softly, "But here, you _can_."

Mabel stares at him. She's quivering.

"There are no demons in here, Mabel. Not if you don't want 'em." Bill's voice is uncharacteristically quiet, the eerie inhuman screech fading into nonexistence. He doesn't sound much like Bill anymore. He sounds like _Dipper_. "No monsters, no journals.

No water towers _._ "

He extends a hand, and there's no blue fire bursting into existence. Just a normal human hand, like the ordinary human expression on Bill's ordinary human face. "You can keep him safe here, Mabel. You can make everything up to him."

Bill smiles then, not wide and off-putting but small and awkward. Just a little bit lopsided.

Dipper's smile.

"You can be a good person here. You can be a good _sister_."

Mabel's hand clenches into a fist, then opens again. Dipper can see her shaking, can see how intently she's staring at Bill's outstretched hand, and knows that he has to do something, _anything_.

Every part of his body is screaming at him to stay still, and even the slightest of motions - a bend of a finger or a slight movement of his head seems impossible. But when it comes down to willpower and pushing on, even when the world yelled and screamed and threatened… well, as far as he was concerned, it had always been him and Mabel against the world. This was no different.

Dipper flops forward, a decidedly undignified alternative to the hug that he had been going for. But it makes Mabel turn around, at least, makes her stare down at him with wide eyes and - he's never been so desperate for twin ESP as he is in this moment, because there is so much he wants to say after everything he's heard, starting with about a few hundred repetitions of 'Mabel, I love you," and ending with at least one declaration of vengeance (what was that about a horse?)

What he says, halting and choked (mouths, really, because there is no air in his lungs and maybe he doesn't need to breath in a dream but but _it sure feels like he does_ ) is: "B- Bill lies. _You didn't,_ not anywhere."

It's not much. It's incoherent and ambiguous and Dipper doesn't even know if Mabel has any idea what he's talking about, but then she goes still and serious and there is new steel in her expression now as she turns to face down Bill, and it's _enough_.

Bill sees it too, because his expression turns exasperated and then furious as he turns to look down on Dipper. His eyes are blazing violently, belying the softness of his words as he says, "Well, Pine Tree, you just have to make things _harder_ , huh? Always the spanner in the works, just like your idiot knucklehead of an uncle.” He takes a step forward. “Now, don't let anyone say I don't learn from my mistakes - you can be the _example_ twin, show your sister _exactly_ what she messed wi -"

Mabel pushes him, _hard_.

The next few seconds happen in slow motion. Bill stumbles backwards a step, then two. His foot slips. He tilts backwards over the edge, expression so shocked that the rules of this world had turned against him that it's almost funny, and -

\- falls.

There is a dull thump. And just like that, Dipper can breath again, his limbs his own. Behind him, he hears twin groans as Soos and Wendy follow suit.

Mabel holds out a hand to him quietly. She doesn't meet his eyes. He takes it, stands up, and says, "Mabel -"

There is a lot in that pregnant pause before his sister shakes her head. "We need to get out of here," Mabel says, something unreadable in her voice. "Don't look down, Dipper."

He doesn't.

In the end, the prison bubble pops as easily as one of Mabel's super huge bubblegum entries for the school competition a couple years back. Giant Waddles shrinks back to his original shape and Soos starts kissing the dirt. Dipper and Mabel stare at each other, and for the first time in a very long time, neither of them seem to know what to say to the other.

"...All of that stuff Bill was saying," he says finally. "Mabel, he was lying. He just wanted you to stay in the bubble. It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you for anything that happened."

"I know that, Dipper," Mabel says quietly. "I'm not a _total_ dum-dum."

Dipper doesn't ask the obvious question. "I meant what I said earlier," he says instead. "There's a million gazillion universes out there, and maybe Bill can see into all of them. But I don't believe what he said. Not when it comes to this. I don't think there's a world out there where you made another choice.  Where - the stuff he said happened."

There is a long pause. "Let's go find Grunkle Stan," his sister says.

"But - Mabel, you agree with me, right?" He asks, almost desperate. "You - you _know_ that you wouldn't have chosen something else."

Mabel doesn't look him in the eye. "Dipper," she says slowly. "When we get to the Mystery Shack, there's something I have to tell you. About - this whole Weirdmageddon thing. It's important."


End file.
